A Lifetime Without You - Caleo
by GamersDaydreamToo
Summary: Leo Valdez has done everything he could to make things perfect for his return to Ogygia. He hoped to accomplish one thing and one thing only: To free the girl he loved from her beautifully impeccable prison. What felt like a lifetime finally ceased when the boy Calypso had long awaited finally arrived to rescue her from her eternal keep. Or so she thought. (Gore in last chapter!)
1. A - Quote to Remember A-N

Atticus and Nya

 _A - Quotes to Remember + A/N:_

 _ITALICS: Atticus_

 **Bold: Nya**

 _"It hurts to know you're happy, yeah, it hurts that you've moved on.. It's hard to hear your name when I haven't seen you in so long.. It's like we never happened, was it just a lie? If what we had was real, how could you be fine? 'Cause I'm not fine at all.." ~ 5SOS, Amnesia_

 _"Tell me where you're hiding your voodoo doll 'cause I can't control myself, I don't wanna stay, I wanna run away but I'm trapped under your spell.. And it hurts in my head and my heart and my chest and I'm having trouble catching my breath.. Ooh, ooh. Won't you please stop loving me to death?" ~ 5SOS, Voodoo Doll_

* * *

 _A/N: WHY HELLO THERE, EVERYBODY!_

 _It's an honor to be back and kicking now that the summer holidays are finally here. But this time, I've got my best friend, Nya Velasquez (dreamingattwilight_ ) _kicking back with me!_

 **Awww... It's a pleasure, babe! I'm soo excited for this collab.**

 _Nya, give everybody a wave, why don't you? *looks at Nya awkwardly whistling at the side* - *coughs*_

* **awkwardly smiles and waves***

 _ANYWAYS. Umm.. Shit. What was I saying earlier? Something about the #JustWriteIt Challenge, right?_

 ***Nya shakes her head* Ugh, you are useless... So, as some of you might or might not know, this month's #JustWriteIt Challenge is.. Drumroll please.**

 _DRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.._

 **FANFIC! And guess which genius decided to do a collab? If you guessed me, you were wrong. I was dragged into this mess...**

 _Hey! Meanie! -3-" You seemed just as excited as I was when I, and I quote, "dragged you into this mess.."_

 ***ignores me* So, we are going to create a PJO fanfic filled with castles and rainbows and fluffy shit just for you.**

 _*looks at Nya* FLUFF!? Ain't nobody got time for cutesy ass shit over here!_

 **Whatever; the point is, we have a fanfic for you guys, so be prepared to get your heart ripped out of your chest and crushed, your life flashing before your eyes as you die; the last image you see, a grinning Regina, looking amazingly evil (Who got that OUAT reference? No-one? 'kay, fine.)**

 _*pats your shoulder in pity* It's okay, boo. I sympathize for you._

 **Anyways, have fun reading!**

 _..YEAH. What she said. Ohh! Right, I forgot. Those of you who haven't read Blood of Olympus, there will be some major spoilers; so read at your own risk! Also! Any images/videos that we refer to in the chapters were initially on our story on Wattpad._

 _ **-**_ _Atticus **&** _**Nya**


	2. i - leo

_i. leo_

* * *

The flames surrounding Leo in the sky above Camp Half-Blood made it look like he really was made of fire, the flames continued to rise above endlessly as he piloted Festus, the bronze dragon just as illuminated as his rider. "I can't contain the fire much longer. I'll vaporize her. Don't worry. But you guys need to leave." Leo told Piper and Jason with such command; he seemed almost leader-like.

Almost.

"No!" Jason said to him, his sky blue eyes wide with shock. "We have to stay with you. Piper's got the cure; Leo, you can't-!"

"Hey," Leo grinned, which made him look frighteningly riveting since his teeth resembled molten ingots. "I told you I had a plan. When are you going to trust me? And by the way - I love you guys." Leo said to his two best friends with a sad smile on his face.

Festus's claw released Jason and Piper, allowing their plummet towards the ground to start.

"Leo, no, you can't. You can't-! Leo-!" Piper screamed at him with fresh tears springing from her kaleidoscopic eyes. Jason, drained by the recent storms he had brewed to fight against Gaea, had no energy to stop their fall, holding Piper close to him as they continued shooting downwards at an alarming rate.

The deafening explosion that followed suit resembled an enormous ball of flames, a second sun, in fact; except their best friend and his bronze dragon were the cause of it.

Leo's immunity to fire was a significant advantage in his life as a demigod, especially since he was the son of Hephaestus, after all.

With the real cure in hand, Leo took a swig out of the tiny bottle; life surged through him as the flames engulfed both him and Festus, slowly but surely.

Leo took a deep breath and shut his eyes as he plunged towards the ground, closer and closer, faster and faster. He could've sworn he could feel smoke coming out of his mouth. He felt like he was internally combusting, yet he'd never felt so alive.

At one point, Leo's grip on Festus faltered, causing him to slip as he let go. Festus seemed to have shrunk as he plummeted downwards further away from Leo, who had floated upwards because of how merciful gravity was feeling towards him. Leo touched his searing forehead briefly to take a second and realize what was happening. Maybe, just maybe, Jason's old man Zeus was feeling a little nice. "The sky is Zeus's domain," and other things like that. It seemed to make sense to Leo. For a while, at least.

 _I'm coming, Calypso..._ Leo thought to himself reassuringly.

He wondered what his friends thought about what had just happened. Did they know he was still alive? Did they know that he was planning on telling them he was alright as soon as possible? His train of thoughts was put to a screeching halt when he could see the familiar crystal clear, island blue waters of Ogygia below him.

Festus's landing in the surrounding blue sea should've stirred up quite a commotion, a mini tsunami of Ogygia's pure waters blasting towards the shore of the island, the home and prison of the girl he loved, Calypso.

 _Calypso._

His heart did a happy dance just by thinking about her. He almost forgot that he was about to have a not so pleasant landing in the water below him; _almost._ Oh, that, _and_ he was still on fire.

 _Joy_.

Remembering a piece of advice he'd heard somewhere about landing in water, he kept his arms and legs straight, bracing for impact.

The winds of change definitely weren't in his favor today, (when were they ever?) but why? Leo suddenly spiraled round and round in the sudden gust of wind that blew him away. He flailed his arms and legs around to calm himself as he screamed at the top of his lungs, losing consciousness until he finally did land on the ground.

* * *

Waking up, Leo slowly opened his eyes and looked around for several seconds. He slowly sat up and took in his surroundings. He was in a bathtub sized crater in Ogygia's pristine white sand, very much similar to the one he had landed in when he had first arrived in Ogygia. Déjà vu, maybe? "Umm.. Sunshine? You there?" Leo called out uncertainly.

Weird, why was it so... quiet? Maybe she was patching up a new set of clothes just for Leo, after all, she did agree to wait for him until he returned. Maybe she somehow knew that he'd willingly burn to death just to see her, after all, love does crazy things to people, especially ADHD-driven demigods like himself. Just look at what Percy did! Jumped straight into Tartarus after Annabeth, the stupid idiot!

Whatever the case, Leo couldn't wait to see her. He stood up and wiped off some of the soot on the clothes he'd unintentionally burned trying to get here. He climbed out of the crater and walked towards Festus, the mechanical bronze dragon slowly joining him on the beach.

Festus was doing surprisingly well, despite the fact that the water might have tripped something up in his system. Great, another problem for Leo to fix, though ever since Piper had sweet talked him, he'd become his own living mechanical dragon. He barely had to do anything anymore in terms of mechanical make-overs. "You alright there, big guy?" Leo asked him with a cheeky grin playing on his lips.

Festus simply creaked in response like he always did. Leo said, "Why don't you wait here for a sec and dry off? I'm gonna have a look around for bit. Sit tight, Festus! I'll be right back!" Festus merely creaked in acknowledgement when he turned on the heating features to dry himself off.

Leo jogged a few meters away before stopping in his tracks, looking up into the orange sky. "It'll be dark soon..." Leo said to himself mindlessly. The warm breeze around him blew at his dark curls, reminding him that it was summer. He turned around and looked at a calm Festus, resting in the sand behind him. Leo faced forward and looked towards the path leading to Calypso's garden.

Seeing that Calypso hadn't come to see him just yet, Leo turned on his heel and walked back to where Festus had seated himself. Leo decided to make a rainbow using the sea spray like he'd tried when he first crash landed on Ogygia. This time, he decided to come prepared. He made sure that the few emergency drachmas he kept in his tool belt were there for the offering he planned to give the goddess of rainbows in order to Iris message his friends in the first place. They were probably worried sick about him anyways.

"Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering _,"_ Leo said without hesitating as he tossed his drachma into the rainbow. After waiting a couple of seconds, the image he received was _not_ (or was it?) what he expected.

It appeared to him that his friends were doing perfectly fine without him around, especially since they were his best friends, who were both into each other, and dating on top of all that. Jason and Piper were too busy eating each other's faces to notice he even Iris messaged them in the first place. "Whoa! What did I say about PDA to both of you earlier!?" Leo said to them in disgust as he shielded his eyes.

The two lovers released one another and jumped, letting out involuntary screams of surprise. "Gods of Olympus! Leo, is that you!?" Piper screeched at him.

"Duh. What does it look like?"

Jason let out a sigh and looked into the distance briefly in a panic before telling Leo, "Leo, could you give us a minute? I think the patrol harpies heard us."

Leo rolled his eyes at Jason as he replied, "Are you sure you aren't just saying that to get me out of your hair, Blonde Superman?"

"Leo, do you have any idea what time it is? It's like two in the morning!" Piper said to him flatly.

"Says Ms. Beauty Queen who's up at two in the first place," Leo said to her in reply.

"This is serious, man. Could you just give us a couple of minutes, please?" Jason pleaded.

"Dang, someone sure doesn't like being cock-blocked," Leo said with a laugh. "I'll call you back later, then."

"Please."


	3. II - CALYPSO

**II. CALYPSO**

* * *

 **EARLIER** **THAT DAY.**

"Seriously? AGAIN?!" Calypso screamed at the gods. Not only did someone crash land onto her dining table again, but also sent smoke all over her clean white laundry. Even when they were at war, the gods never seemed to run out of cruel tricks to play on her.

The ruined dining table brought back a sense of déjà vu, reminding her of Leo. She smiled involuntarily at the thought of his scrawny body covered in soot, his hair in a stringy mess on top of his head, a cheeky smile on his face as he said-

"Where in the name of Jupiter am I?! Stupid _Graecus_ scum, they set me up!" An annoyingly screechy voice pulled Calypso away from her beautiful daydream of her dream man's return. This was definitely not the man of her dreams. Quite the opposite, actually. True, he was bony and all, but not in the cute way Leo was. He wasn't a geeky mechanic.

Calypso took a step back, shocked at the turn her thoughts had taken, ' _Did I really_ _just think that? Really?_ _I'm comparing this_ thing _to Leo now?'_ She shook her head and looked back towards her new discovery.

This demigod was different than the others she had seen before. He wore tattered robes over a frayed purple shirt, as opposed to the normal orange shirt she grew accustomed to seeing, with teddy bears attached to them. Teddy bears!

 _'Who is this person?_ ' Calypso thought, _'A child stuck in a teenager's body?'_ The gods really were cruel. For all she knew, they could be laughing at her right now, planning new ways to further take away her dignity.

Deciding not to dwell on what couldn't be changed, Calypso looked back at the mess before her. His short-cropped blonde hair was almost black from the smoke and he smelt like burnt toast. His watered down eyes seemed to pop as they were hidden under all that soot. She scrunched her nose, creeping slowly towards the thing that ruined her dining table, like a cheetah hunting its prey.

Only Leo was allowed to ruin her table; only because he could fix it again, not because she felt anything for him. _Pfft_. She _totally_ didn't feel anything for the scrawny demigod that crashed onto her island months ago, taking her heart with him when he left to save the world.

She crawled forwards, parting the bushes to get a clearer view of the little bugger that trespassed onto her island. He was still screaming at no one in particular. ' _Wow_ ,' Calypso thought, _'is that_ _what I look_ _like_ _when_ I _yell_ _at the gods?_ _He looks like a lunatic that_ _escaped from some mental asylum!'_

She let slip a chuckle, catching the demigod's unwanted attention, his eyes widened at Calypso's beauty. "Hey, sweetheart," the creature said to her in an attempt to be charming. Calypso immediately disliked him. "Who in the name of Apollo are you? And what are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same thing of you." Calypso said to him suspiciously. "And don't call me sweetheart!"

"Okay, sweetheart."

"I said, don't call me that!" Calypso huffed, her arms crossed over her chest, "And just so we're clear, this is my island, so you are the trespasser here. Who are you?"

"I, my lady, am the valiant Octavian, and you sweetheart, are an innocent damsel stranded on this island in need of saving."

"You are insufferable. This is my home and you need to leave. Now."

"I don't know what you mean, sweetheart," Octavian batted his eyelashes in a manner never to be spoken of, or even pictured ever again. Calypso cringed at his attempts to win her heart, but Octavian continued anyways, disregarding how stupid and grotesque he looked throughout the process.

Calypso had had enough of this. She realized that this was Leo all over again, and nothing she could say or do would make this... _thing_ go away. "You know what?" She said to him, giving up. "Just stay out of my sight," and with that, Calypso flicked her golden brown hair, the way she saw mean girls on T.V. shows would using the little magic she had, and walked off towards the cavern which was her home.

Unfortunately, we don't get everything we want in life. In fact, we sometimes get the opposite, as was the case for poor Calypso.

The horrid demigod who Calypso began to suspect was an experiment gone wrong started following her up the hard, rocky path, complaining the whole time, giving her a splitting headache. ' _He's like a fly that just won't get lost!'_ She thought _._

Eventually, the stupid idiot behind Calypso stopped ranting about how he was a hero and should've been granted immortality or something along those lines. Calypso caught something about a war with Gaea however, but brushed it off. After all, why did she have to be concerned with the gods' problems? On the other hand, what came out of the teenager's mouth next wasn't much better.

He had taken his teddy bears from his belt and was ripping them to shreds, throwing the stuffing like confetti into the fire he had made outside Calypso's little home. The chants that escaped his mouth made no sense to the confused goddess, who took a peak at him from the cavern's small entrance, thinking she was right about her experiment theory.

Octavian continued chanting on and on, starting to dance around in circles, occasionally looking back at a very confused Calypso. "Oh mighty, mighty Venus goddess of- make the person- me now. Goddess to the- make- now- the left of her- me more." Calypso stared at Octavian, catching onto a few of the words he chanted, but not enough to completely understand what he was chanting. She struggled to remember who Venus was, while the oblivious Octavian continued his chants, making his movements bigger and bigger with each one.

The chanting came to a sudden pause, and Calypso looked up, thinking the little bugger fell into the fire. What she saw next took her breath away. His tall and handsome physique was stunning, his blonde hair in a tangled hot mess. He gave her a sparkly smile and walked slowly towards her.

"Let's try this again, shall we?" He spoke, a confident-borderline cocky edge to his voice, making Calypso swoon. "My name is Octavian, sweetheart. And yours, Miss..?" Octavian left a slight pause, awaiting her response.

Calypso stumbled over her words, barely able to speak her name without making a complete fool of herself. "Ah... Calypso."

"Such a sweet name for a sweet maiden. We are going to have a lot of fun, you and I, sweetheart," and with a wink, he took ahold of Calypso's sweaty palm and pulled her beside him, watching the stars light up the sky as the remaining teddy bears fueled the fire before them.

* * *

 _ **A**_ **/** _ **N:**_ **There we have it, demigods! At last, an update! *Nya grins proudly***

 _*spins in swivel chair* And this took you how long exactly, Nya? *narrows my eyes at Nya*_

 **Umm. Oops?**

 _ **Till next time, later, demigods! :D**_

 _Atticus_ _ ** & **_**Nya**


	4. iii - leo

_iii. leo_

* * *

Leo slept soundly curled up beside Festus. The heating features were definitely a plus, so it really did help when the island got colder at night.

Leo woke up to the sound of yelling beside his right ear, jolting him awake as his head briefly crashed into Festus's leg, causing him to let out a yelp of agony.

"Whoa, it actually is Leo!" Leo recognized the familiar feminine voice as Hazel's; her golden brown curls bounced about on her head and shoulders as she looked at him in shock, her golden eyes as.. well, golden as they ever were.

He saw Piper give her an incredulous look, "Did you think I was going crazy?"

"Well, you _were_ up at 2 AM, so.." Hazel told her sheepishly.

Piper let our a laugh as she turned to glare at Leo, "You stupid idiot! We've been worried sick about you! We thought you were dead, even after what Nico and Hazel told us..." Piper's voice cracked at the last word, and Leo was surprised that his friends really did care that much about him.

"Well, Ms. Beauty Queen, you know now," Leo said to her with a cheeky grin. "Where's Blonde Superman?"

"He's calling Frank and Reyna before they leave for New Rome," Hazel answered him swiftly. "I'm leaving with them later today, you know, Sa- Leo." She still occasionally had trouble remembering that Leo wasn't his _abuelo_.

"New Rome? Why would you be going back there?" Leo asked, confused by the sudden upbringing.

Hazel cocked an eyebrow at him as she answered, "We're going home, Leo."

The answer clicked something in his brain, the short circuited area putting the pieces back together again. "The war's over..." Leo said in a hollow voice. "We won, didn't we? We finally beat Gaea."

His friends smiled at him, confirming what he'd just announced for himself. "You didn't die for nothing, did you?" Piper said to him at last. Leo grinned at her sheepishly in response.

Annabeth and her blonde curls came into view, her hand clasped in Percy's as they walked over towards the rainbow, both her eyebrows cocked at him above her stormy gray eyes as she said, "Well, if it isn't our favorite Mexican Vulcan." Percy grinned from ear to ear and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"How're you doing, man?" Percy asked as he briskly wrapped his arm around Annabeth. Leo's heart clenched and his chest tightened at the sight; he missed Calypso so much, it hurt to see his friends so happy. He promised himself that as soon as he was done Iris messaging them, he'd clean himself up and find her.

Leo brushed off his slightly jealous feeling as he replied, "I'm doing great, Aquaman. I stink and smell like smoke, but I'm good." He could've sworn he saw one of Percy's sea green eyes twitch when he said Aquaman; he knew how much Percy hated being called that.

"Where are you, anyways?" Piper asked Leo, turning his attention towards her.

"I'm.. Umm." Leo seemed hesitant to answer because he knew the response he was going to get for leaving his friends to assume that he'd died. "I'm on Ogygia."

Leo visibly recoiled to keep himself from going deaf as his friends screamed together in unison, "WHAT!?"

Percy was in shock, so he asked the logical question since he was the only one out of the seven, aside from Leo, to have gone to Ogygia and returned to the real world, "Holy Poseidon- Valdez, how're you even Iris messaging us!? Doesn't Ogygia's magic block all present and possible future contact with the outside world?"

Leo pondered this for a second; how _was_ he able to contact his friends? "I remember Calypso told me when I was here before that the magic here on Ogygia had become unstable; maybe that's why?

"Makes sense," Percy answered nodding his head. "Speaking of; have you seen her yet?" Percy asked him abruptly.

Leo licked his chapped lips before replying, "No, actually. Weirdly enough, she didn't seem to hear me crash land into the sand like I did when I first got here.

Percy cocked an eyebrow at Leo as he answered, "Weird. You'd hear just about anything on an island as quiet as Ogygia-" Percy was cut off when he was jumped by Jason, panting as Frank popped by to join them.

"Morning, Commander Tool Belt," Jason said to Leo with a broad smile on his face. Wrapping an arm around Piper's shoulders, he continued, "So; what'd I miss?"

Leo smirked at him briefly as he said, "I'm going to get cleaned up. I smell like smoke, plus I wanna make a good impression on Calypso when she sees me-"

Leo was cut off by a wave of "Aww's" from his friends, lead by Piper. "I'll be darned if Calypso doesn't miss you, Chef Leo," Piper said to him with a suggestive wink.

"Team Leo for the win!" Hazel shouted out with a proud fist pump in the air. Jason joined in on the fun and high-fived Hazel with such enthusiasm, you'd think that Jason had a little too much nectar and ambrosia.

Leo narrowed his eyes at Jason and said, "Who are you and what've you done to Jason Grace?"

"This is the new me, Mr. Spock."

Meanwhile, as Frank stared at everyone blankly, completely bewildered by everyone's behavior, Percy and Annabeth laughed together at how ridiculous their friends were being.

"You'd better go quick before these idiots start fangirling again, Valdez." Annabeth told him, still laughing at the state her friends were in.

Leo smiled to himself as he bid his friends farewell for a little while. Leo scanned himself briefly and scrunched his nose; he'd ruined his clothes so quickly, he wondered what Calypso would say about it. His hair was singed at the ends because of the explosion, so he decided that a mega-cleanup on his part would do the trick.

Stripping himself of his no longer pristine white shirt and army jacket, he walked towards the shore and crouched down, leveling himself with the water to wash his clothes as best he could. His scrawny frame was coated with leftover soot, so he made sure that he would immediately clean himself up after washing his clothes.

Leo took out a tube of travel detergent from his magic tool belt, something he didn't think would _ever_ find its way inside, and used it to clean his clothes.

Festus remained where he was on the beach's shoreline, occasionally creaking in greeting at Leo.

Leo would've dried the clothes himself if he didn't need to clean himself up too, so he dried them off on Festus. "Sorry, big guy. It'll only be for a few minutes, I promise."

After ridding himself of the soot and grime he was coated in, Leo dried himself off with the flames he was so commonly known for.

After putting his clothes back on, he reached into his tool belt for the gel he'd used a few months back, slicking his hair back as he grinned into Festus's bronze plating.

"Let's go see what Sunshine's up to, eh, Festus?"

* * *

Leo's walk up the familiar rocky path brought back memories as they came flooding back to him all at once, how he'd followed Calypso as she'd trudged along it grudgingly, swearing like a sailor in Ancient Greek. Her golden brown hair flowed down her back over her Grecian dress, her milky pale skin as fair as he could remember.

He could almost smell her scent; cinnamon and woodsmoke. A tender smile played on his lips as he thought of her more and more, the feelings he'd bottled up for weeks engulfing him; he badly wanted to see her-

No, he _needed_ to see her.

"Sunshine! Guess who's back!" Leo called out as he finally reached her garden, passing by the grove of trees near the garden's entrance.

Nothing, but silence.

His walk turned into a jog, and that jog spurned into a sprint. His heart pumped faster, both anxious and worried about Calypso. The smell of the peach trees on his left put a pang in his already heavy heart. "Sunshine?" Leo called out once more.

Again, an eerie silence.

Passing the bed of vegetables, Leo made his way into Calypso's cavern, holding his breath as he entered. Everything was the same as when he'd first left and arrived. The harp untouched, the bowls of fruit as well. Weirdly enough, the beef stew that Calypso was known for wasn't present, surprising Leo more than he already was. The invisible servants that usually tended to the dishes and stew were missing, leaving Leo in chills.

"Did I clean up for nothing?" Leo said to himself in confusion as he ran a hand through his gelled hair. Frustrated with himself, he shouted out, "Calypso!"

Still nothing.

He swallowed hard and exited the cavern, his lips trembling as he looked at his feet. He shut his eyes tight to prevent the tears that threatened to spill over, his knees buckled beneath him as he landed on his butt. He hugged his knees to his chest and trembled "Calypso.." Leo finally choked out pathetically as he covered his face with his calloused hands. As he continued to proceed with his meltdown, he let out a low whisper, "Where are you?"

* * *

He laid on his back, staring up at the orange sky. How many hours he'd remained that way, he wasn't sure, but he was certain that he finally cracked.

Leo kept his right forearm over his forehead to try to keep himself sane, "Gods of Olympus, Calypso.. Where are you?"

 _ **A/N**_ _: *sobs because expectation VS reality is cruel*_

 ***Nya jumps on me* Don't break down on me now, Atticus. You agreed to this, didn't you?**

 _*wipes away tears furiously* Tr-true that!_

 _ **Until next time, later demigods! :D**_

- _Atticus_ _ ** & **_**Nya**


	5. IV - CALYPSO

**IV. CALYPSO**

* * *

As the sun lowered into the sea, turning the horizon pinky-blue, Calypso lay in her lover's arms, drifting between consciousness and sleep, allowing Octavian to calm her. Somewhere between listening to the sound of his voice and gazing at the night sky, Calypso fell asleep; the sound of a crash somewhere on the island and Octavian's promise it was nothing was the last thing she remembered before falling into a deep sleep beneath the stars.

* * *

If Octavian had ever left her side to check on what had crashed throughout the night, Calypso hadn't noticed. She woke up more relaxed than she had been in a while. "Morning, sweetheart," Octavian greeted her with a smile that somehow always became a smirk. Calypso replied with a smile of her own, bright and pure.

"Want some breakfast?" She stood up, dusting the rubble and dust off of the white Grecian dress she had returned to. Jeans seemed too painful to wear, bringing back memories that she couldn't quite place her finger on. "I'll just go get a few things from my cavern, then we can eat something, alright?"

" _NO_!" Octavian jumped startling Calypso.

Calypso, surprised by Octavian's suddenly jumpy behavior, asked him, an edge of sudden suspicion in her voice, "Why not? You do want to eat, don't you?"

Octavian scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, thinking of a way to cover up his mistake. "Because I thought I would umm... That I would make breakfast!" Calypso looked him over unimpressed. "That's right. I want to do something special for you, sweetheart." He gave her what Calypso hoped was supposed to be a sweet smile. It was a sight to see but Calypso still fawned over him, seeing him as a handsome beast.

"Alright love, I'll wait here, but you need to hurry. I'm hungry!" She called after him as he started to leave. She looked around her, trying to clean up a little, taming her wild hair. By the time she had made herself somewhat presentable and covered the bonfire they had made the night before, Octavian had returned.

"I bear fruits straight from the heavens itself!" He called, puffing his chest, pretending to make some big announcement. Calypso giggled and pulled him down besides her, taking the plate of berries, fruits, and ambrosia, not waiting for Octavian before she dug in.

"Whoa there, sweetheart. Someone's hungry," Octavian laughed causing her to giggle again, her golden-brown hair flying through the wind.

Once they had finished the entire plate (which didn't take long) Calypso stood up holding her hand out to Octavian. "Come on, Mister," she grabbed his hand, dragging him down towards the crystal blue beach, the only endless thing on the island Calypso didn't mind. Octavian laughed and ran with her, discarding his torn robes along the way, leaving him in jeans and a shirt, though the shirt, too was quickly removed, left to fly in the wind like a kite in a breeze. Calypso stopped short, taking in the sight before her. She licked her suddenly dry lips, her eyes never leaving the toned 6-pack she must have been imagining on the scrawny boy.

Noticing this, Octavian smirked, walking closer and closer to the frozen goddess. "Like what you see, sweetheart?" His smirk widened as he pulled Calypso towards him, her hands falling on his chest between them.

Her eyes fluttered to his as a deep blush crept its way to her cheeks. "What? Pfft, no!" She stumbled over her words, trying to cover up what her red face gave away. "I've seen many demigods and gods alike that can top you."

"Really, sweetheart?" He smirked again, "I'd like you to name at least one."

"Well, there was this one demigod who-" Octavian leaned in towards her slowly, cutting her off as she continued stammering at a rapid fire pace, "who... Who..."

"Yes, sweetheart?" Octavian's cocky side emerged as he continued to lean in towards her, coming close to her ear. "This one demigod who..." Butterflies filled Calypso's stomach as he whispered into her ear, drawing back so she could see him while still staying close enough to touch.

"Who..." Calypso closed her eyes leaning closer and closer to Octavian, "is nothing compared to you," she finished slowly, stuck in a trance. He leaned close to her, pecking her lips; she pushed against him wanting more. Clearly, Octavian had another idea. He pressed his lips into her ear and whispered seductively, "And don't you forget it, sweetheart." With a sexy wink, the hot hunk in front of her turned and walked away, towards the rocky path.

Calypso sighed, gazing after the latest demigod who had been thrown her way. Hopefully, this one wouldn't leave like the rest of them. Though they all left in the end. That was her curse; to fall in love with demigods who were destined to leave and never return.

As Calypso gazed after the man who held her heart, another walked up behind her, his eyes full of love. His dark curls bounced about in a stringy mess on top of his head, making his elf-like ears stand out at the sides of his head. A gentle smile was fixed on his face as he said, "Sunshine? It's me, the idiot you totally didn't miss..." He slowly walked towards her, placing a calloused hand on her shoulder.

Calypso turned around, her hair flipping in the wind, unsure who this new trespasser was. "Excuse me?"

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ **And end scene... DUN DUN DUN! What do you guys think? Yeah.. Was Octavian hot enough for you guys? *wink wink***

 _*cringes to the point that my face hurts* EWWWWWWWWWW! NOOO! What? Why! I want Caleo, not this ugly weird match. Nya, yes, this is brutally and beautifully grotesquely written, but my face is in pain right now! Have you no mercy at all, woman!?_

 **Ugh, whatever... Until next time demigo-**

 _*sobbing over Caleo in the background*_

 ***Heard in the distance* Oh, grow up, Atticus!**

 _ **Until next time, later demigods! :D**_

 _-Atticus_ _ **&**_ **Nya**


	6. v - leo

_v. leo_

* * *

"Bronze bulls!" Leo hissed out in a whisper, immediately crouching down to avoid them from seeing him. There was never meant to _be_ a them, let alone an additional party member on the beach.

His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach when he saw Calypso stood comfortably at the beach, in the arms of... _someone else._

"..Sunshine?" Leo said weakly, barely audible for even him to hear it.

The scent of cinnamon coming from Calypso in the island's warm breeze was like a slap across his face, stinging his already wounded from the explosion facial features. Her laugh, which would've sent his heart fluttering in his chest had the circumstances been different; was like a bullet through his chest, going straight through his already fractured heart.

Why didn't Calypso acknowledge him when he called her?

Leo brushed off the dust on his clothes and stood up, walking towards Calypso slowly. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat. He waited for the idiot who somehow replaced him to (can you believe it?) strut towards the rocky path leading to her home before approaching her. "Sunshine?" Leo said to her, louder this time with a sheepish smile on his face. "It's me, the idiot you totally didn't miss. Don't you recognize me?" He carefully placed one of his calloused hands on her shoulder, an announcement of his arrival.

 _'Apparently the crash wasn't loud enough for her to hear, huh?'_ Leo thought to himself numbly.

As she turned around to look at him, her golden brown hair seemed to fly in the wind, frozen in time as her almond eyes blinked at him in a confused state. She wrinkled her small nose at him and narrowed her eyes, she said nothing but, "Excuse me?"

Why did she only look at him, all confused?

Leo let out a hesitant laugh as he continued, "Sunshine, it's me. Leo? Leo Valdez? Name ring a bell?"

She stared at him, and for a second, a look of recognition washed over her, but as it disappeared, Calypso blinked at him once more and she replied, "I don't know who you are or what you're talking about, but you need to leave. This is my island, and trespassers are never welcome. Never have been, never will be." The tone she gave him was firm and commanding, but an aura of cold was in it. Weird, she always seemed to give off warm vibes, even when she was being stuck-up towards him when they first met.

"Calypso, you're acting funny. Are you okay?" Leo asked her, genuine concern laced in his voice as he put both his hands on her shoulders firmly. "Did you eat too much of that beef stew? Did Dad not come by to visit like he usually does-"

His breath hitched in his throat when he saw her look at him, _really_ look at him. The freckles dotting her cheeks were still as prominent as ever over her milky pale skin. Her almond eyes were as big and brown as ever, but they bore confusion and lack of understanding.

She looked so lost, but that didn't hide the pain he could see deep inside her heart. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, Leo could see how hurt she was, being constantly abandoned why the ones she learned to love. He wanted to simply kiss away the pain and tell her that he was here to help her, to heal her aching heart. "I- I don't..." Calypso swallowed hard and stared at the sand beneath her feet.

Why wouldn't she look at him?

"Calypso," Leo said to her gently, removing both hands from her shoulders. He placed one on her waist, pulling her closer to him, and the other propped under her chin, persuading her to look up at him. When she did, Leo continued, "Sunshine, are you okay?"

Time seemed to have slowed as he stared at her beautiful face, lost and confused, but still as entrancing as she was when they first met. She stared right back at him, their heartbeats in sync with one another.

When normal time kicked in once again, Calypso came back to her senses and did the unexpected. She slapped him hard across the face. "You- you pervert!" Calypso hissed at Leo in disgust. "I don't even know you and you're pulling stupid stunts like this! I mean, look at you; you're not even remotely good looking!"

' _..huh?'_ Leo thought to himself dumbfounded _. 'Did she just slap me and call me a perv in the same sentence!?'_

Déjà vu all over again.

Calypso looked up at the sky and screamed, " _Di Immortales_! Zeus, this isn't funny! Why did you send me this.. This.."

"Holy Hephaestus, what is happening?" Leo said to himself numbly, clutching his sore cheek.

"Leave now, you impossible cretin!" Calypso yelled at him at last.

Leo couldn't take it anymore, seeing her react the way she was, so he shook his head at her in shock and took off in the other direction, as fast as his skinny legs could carry him. The wind blasted his elf-like ears, his jaw clenched as he continued sprinting along the beach towards where Festus was waiting.

Taking a massive gulp of air after stopping in the soft sand under his bare feet, his knees buckled beneath him as he collapsed beside Festus. His trembling hands continued to shake as he screamed a string of curse words, some of which he didn't even know _existed_ until he said them. He clawed at his scalp with his long fingers, ruining his gelled hair; he felt like his brain was going to combust at any minute.

Leo kneeled on all fours, his hands curling up in the sand beneath him, the tears in his eyes slowly pooled over, spilling over as the salty tears started to dot the beach's pristine white sand. He continued to cry silently as he curled up in the soft sand, coating his clothes with grains of it, some of them sticking to his now sticky with tears face. Humor was a way to hide the pain, but he didn't see anything he could possibly laughing about. "I died for nothing, didn't I?" Leo asked himself quietly. "I thought it would be worth it; saving the world _and_ getting the girl in one shot.. Guess I was wrong," Leo mumbled finally before passing out because of exhaustion.

* * *

Leo woke up to Festus's bronze wings being wrapped around his small frame, protecting him from anyone that threatened to hurt him. Festus creaked in Morse code, ' _Are you okay?'_

Leo wiped away any stray tears with the heel of his palm as he answered, "I'm fine, big guy. Just tired is all. Thanks for checking up on me." Leo gave him a weak smile in an attempt to show him that he was better than okay, failing as his lips trembled. Festus said nothing as he wrapped his wings more securely around Leo. He knew that he was lying to Festus, and more importantly, himself.

He wasn't okay. He would never be okay knowing that Calypso had moved on after promising she'd wait for him to come back and save her.

That so-called blonde hunk with her decided to come along and ruin everything. Who the heck did he think he was? There was something vaguely familiar about him, but he couldn't place it. Was it his pasty blonde hair? Was it the color of his sickly pale skin? Leo could've sworn he'd seen him somewhere before, but he didn't know where or when exactly.

He stared into the sky intently and called out, "Dad, if you're listening.. I really need you right now. Sorry if I'm distracting you or anything, but..." Leo swallowed hard as he continued, "Dad, please. I need you."

Leo took several shallow breaths and decided to set up a Celestial bronze beacon, one that would be enough to catch his dad's attention. Using the finest tools and materials he could gather from his side of the island, he proceeded to do his work.

When he finally managed to perfect the beacon's functions, he felt a godly presence standing beside him. Leo tuned to find his father in human form, his face as crooked as ever, but kind all the same. "Could use a bit more work, otherwise, I'm impressed." Hephaestus said to Leo gruffly.

"Hi to you too, Dad," Leo told him flatly.

"Quite the charmer aren't you, son?" Hephaestus said to him in an amused tone. "Any specific reason why you called me?"

Leo sat down with his legs crossed, leaning against the Celestial bronze beacon as he said, "Oh, I don't know, Dad. Day's been going great today, I saw Sunshine with someone else after promising her that I'd come back, so I'm just jolly, aren't I?" His voice and tone oozed with bitter sarcasm, somewhere near narcissistic, in fact.

"Ah.." Hephaestus said at last after a brief awkward silence. "The Calypso issue." Leo laughed drily in reply, waiting for Hephaestus to go on. "Something on this islandis stopping Calypso's curse from being lifted." Hephaestus told Leo gruffly as he continued, "Until then, you're going to have to destroy him-"

"Wait, hold up; him?" Leo asked his father with narrowed eyes. "What do you mean _'him'_?"

"I cannot say, Leo. Favoritism is frowned upon, and you know that. I have to treat all my children equally the same, but I suppose being dead has its perks. Technically speaking, at least."

"You were talking about that other demigod, weren't you?"

The corner of Hephaestus's lips twitched, a smile threatened to appear on his crooked face. "You aren't as ignorant as they think. Very well, then. If you want to see Calypso and get her to remember you, you must remove him from Ogygia. Only then will the curse be lifted, allowing her to leave Ogygia with you on the travels you plan to endeavor on, Leo."

Leo scoffed and said, "Piece of cake."

"Not quite, son. Don't get too cocky so easily. There's a catch." Hephaestus said to him warningly.

"Gods of Olympus, what is it this time?"

Hephaestus simply answered, "Unlike the other demigods who've stepped foot on Ogygia, this one is of Roman descent. He isn't like the rest of you, Leo."

Leo dug through the back of his mind and remembered that the Romans were a lot more sophisticated in comparison to the Greeks in every way possible, especially recreation wise. "Buff, blonde, pale as a zombie.." Leo mumbled to himself as he went through his internal checklist. Only one name came to mind, but it was impossible. It couldn't possibly be him.

Leo shook his head at Hephaestus and said, "Dad, if you're telling me that that pale as death, vain not-so surfer boy is the same scrawny augur that chased us halfway around the world to stop us from winning the fight against Gaea, I swear, I'm going to-"

Hephaestus said nothing as he continued to play the poker face card.

"Dad, no. Come on, you can't be serious." Leo said to him disbelievingly.

Silence.

Leo could feel his left eye twitching, "You're kidding me, right?"

No response.

"..you aren't, are you?"

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _*casually sips non-existent tea ignoring the fact that I'm one half of the heartbreak duo writing 'A Lifetime Without You'* - *puts teacup down* So! Thoughts, anyone? XD I am one hell of a cruel writer, aren't I?_

 **Yes... Yes, you are... But I think it's safe to say I'm worse... We make a great pair, don't you think? *insert evil laugh here* Are your hearts bleeding yet, demigods? We shall see...**

 _ **Until next time, our loyal and heartbroken readers! :D**_

 _-Atticus_ _ **&**_ **Nya**


	7. VI - CALYPSO

**VI. CALYPSO**

* * *

Calypso stomped off towards the cavern where Octavian was, her mind all over the place. ' _Who was this demigod? What was he doing here? She had never gotten_ two _demigods at once?'_ And yet something kept bugging her at the back of her mind. Almost like a memory from a past life that she was supposed to remember.

She walked into her cavern, picking up some yarn and sitting on a chair underneath a shower of crystals. Each one was shaped like a teardrop, creating a shimmer of dancing rainbows when whatever little light entered the cavern hit them.

Deep in thought, Calypso didn't notice when Octavian walked towards her, making sure she was alright. He had expected her to follow him immediately when he left, and was surprised she took so long. She looked up at him suddenly, still in a daze, unable to grasp at the small memory tugging at her brain.

"You alright, sweetheart?" He gave her a sweet smile, going behind her, gently massaging her shoulders. It was a bit too much for her.

"I met someone; someone who knew me. It was almost as if I was supposed to know him. As if I was meant to be expecting him; overjoyed to see him." Calypso frowned, straining to remember, coming up blank.

"Did he give you a name?" Octavian questioned slowly. He, too wore a frown on his face, however not for the same reasons Calypso did.

"I think it was Liam... Or Louis... No, it was neither..." Calypso struggled to remember. It seemed to become a trend lately. "Leo, maybe? Yes! That was it! Leo." Octavian cringed slightly, his frown deepening and all at once started muttering in Latin; a language Calypso hadn't bothered to learn.

Unable to think any more Calypso slouched in her chair, her mind reeling in pain. Too much was happening all at once. Too much that she couldn't explain. There were two demigods on her island, one which she thought she was supposed to know and one which she loved, and she had this weird feeling that she had lost some of her memory, as if she was trying to grasp at a memory she had never experienced.

"Shall I go see what this Leo wants?" Octavian suddenly straightened up, an evil glint in his watered down eyes. Calypso shook her head slightly, no longer having the energy to keep her eyes open, much less speak. Her light breathing turned to long deep breaths as she fell asleep with exhaustion. Octavian smiled a little at his sweetheart. She looked so peaceful.

"Even so my dear, I must go and see him if our love is to survive in this cruel, cruel world."

* * *

Calypso dreamed of mechanics and scrawny Latino boys, and teddy bears and bonfires. She dreamed of long nights by a dying flame, her hands filled with grease from working. She dreamed of a shop with beef stew, and music, and machines.

She dreamed of love, and hate, and heartache, unsure what it all meant. Everything had some significance, and yet, she didn't know what in the world they meant. What her dreams were trying to tell her. Still, she knew that somehow, eventually, she would piece the endless puzzle pieces together, even if one of the main puzzle pieces was lost.

* * *

Calypso opened her eyes, waking from her strange dream more confused than ever, the bright light blinding her tired eyes. Her eyes filled with awe as she took in everything from the royal blue sheets on the bed she awoke on, to the beautiful drapes by the window that danced as the wind from the small balcony blew threw them.

Not minding how she got there, Calypso floated across the marble floor, her new Juliet-like dress flowing behind her. _Tap_ _tap_ _tap_. Calypso moved towards the balcony, spotting a figure hiding in the shadows as the sun went up in flames, painting the sky with hues of pinks and oranges as the day turned to night. "Psst! Calypso?" The Latino boy, Leo called up towards her, preparing to throw another pebble. Unlike their last meeting, Calypso didn't blow up at the sight of the demigod. She felt a strange sense of love that replaced any anger or confusion she may have possessed.

"Leo? What are you doing here? You must go before he comes!" Calypso's urged, unsure why she suddenly felt anxious, looking behind her in fear someone might enter.

"Alas light comes from the window above! It is east, and Calypso is the sun!" Leo spoke with a certain grace he never truly showed before, the grin on his face ever so charming. Calypso giggled a little too loudly, catching herself before someone heard.

"You shouldn't be here! If he sees you, he will murder you!" Calypso urged Leo to leave again, still unsure who he was. She couldn't even control the words flowing out of her mouth. Almost as if she were separate to her body, watching a scene play out before her, unable to do anything.

"By the moon I care not! I had to see my love, my sunshine." Leo gazed lovingly into her eyes. He started climbing the vines on the wall, trying hard to get to her. Calypso leaned down towards him, reaching out her hand to help pull Leo up.

"You stupid boy! You're going to die!"

"And I already said, I don't care," Leo smirked back, still climbing up the side of the tall house.

Calypso rolled her eyes at the boy's response; knowing nothing she says will stop him. "Come on, Leo; you're almost there." Getting ready to pull him up, Calypso spotted something moving in the darkness, climbing up quickly behind her lover. "Leo! Look out! He's-"

The figure grabbed at Leo's ankle, pulling him down from the vines, landing in a heap on the floor. "Leo!" He pulled Leo to his feet, his shaggy blonde hair covering his eyes, bags of black making him almost demon-like.

Leo staggered to his feet, ready to fight him. "Leo! Go! Run! You can't fight him!" Calypso screamed, the sky turning grey, lit only by the lightning that came suddenly with the pouring rain.

"Never! I will free you of this demon!" The ever-so brave Leo screamed over the howling wind, lunging towards him for a punch. He laughed a menacing laugh, lighting striking behind. How fitting.

One punch after the other Leo pounced fearlessly, while he effortlessly dodged each and every blow, dishing out a few of his own. Calypso could do nothing but stare in horror at the sight before her, tears streaming down her face.

Suddenly, everything seemed to move in slow motion. Leo went for a kick; he grabbed Leo's leg, flipping Leo onto the floor. Drawing a small switchblade, he walked towards Leo, who was unable to move. Calypso screamed, throwing her body over the edge of the balcony, leaning down as if it would do any good. He struck the helpless Leo and then struck again, the smirk on his face a picture that came right out of a horror story. Calypso screamed again, crumpled on the floor and all went black.

When Calypso opened her eyes again, she was back in her cave. Had it all been a dream then? Was Leo dead? Why should she care anyways? Calypso pulled at her hair frustrated at all the questions she had, none of which she could answer.

"Calm down, child. Ruining that beautiful hair will do you no good. It's the only pretty thing you've got going for yourself, you know." Calypso swiveled round towards the entrance of her cave, looking the intruder up and down.

"I suppose you would know, being an expert, Aphrodite," Calypso spat at the goddess before her. "What do you want?"

"Now, now dear. Is that any way to treat a guest?" Aphrodite tut-ed. "You'll never find a man like that you know."

"I'll never find a man regardless, thanks to you!"

"Ah, sweet child, it isn't thanks to me. It was Zeus who ordered it if you remember, so be nice and I might be able to help you." Aphrodite walked towards Calypso, tucking a stray strand of hair behind Calypso's ear.

"Why would I want _your_ help? Zeus may have ordered it, but it was your curse!" Calypso stepped backwards, wanting to be as far from the goddess as possible.

"Are you listening even listening to me?!" Aphrodite screamed, "I'm trying to help you, you ignorant girl! You can break this wretched curse of yours if you just listen!"

"Why?" Calypso screamed back, anger boiling inside of her. "Why now?! After all these years?"

Aphrodite rolled her eyes, unable to comprehend how oblivious Calypso was. "Because Calypso, now a Roman demigod has landed here. The rules have changed."

"Roman?" Calypso tried to think how that would change anything.

"Yes, dear. Roman. It was part of the curse and prophecy. You are trapped here until a Greek can set you free from the brat that has your heart in the palm of his hands."

"What?" Calypso struggled to keep up with the goddess' words. "What prophecy?"

"I can't say much more, dear. I must go now. Your lover will be waiting for you."

"But-" Calypso called after Aphrodite, her mind in a whirl, unsure what to make of things.

"Remember, child. Only a Greek can set you free." And with those last words, Aphrodite disappeared from sight in a shimmer of dust, leaving Calypso alone again as she sat on the couch to think. Fatigue filled her, her eyes drooping as she struggled to focus her mind, falling into deep sleep.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _*squishes Nya* Well done, boo. So proud of you. You actually got me giggling during that Romeo & Juliet-like scene._

 ***Nya wipes away her sweat* Phew! That's a relief to hear.**

 _Poor Nya here has been fighting to the death with Writer's Block for the past week. It nearly triumphed, in fact. But then, I started annoying her about it, and-_

 ***Nya punches my shoulder***

 _Ow!_

 **Until next time, later demi-**

 _Don't cut me off, woman-!_

 _ **Until next time, later demigods! :D**_

 _ **-**_ _Atticus_ _ ** & **_**Nya**


	8. vii - leo

_vii. leo_

* * *

Leo kicked the pristine white sand beneath his feet, frustrated with himself and the consequences of Octavian's landing. Things would've gone perfectly fine if that scrawny little scarecrow hadn't landed on Ogygia in the first place. "Stupid, straw haired little-!" Leo screamed out in anger, his Latino facial features going a dark shade of red.

"Calm yourself, boy," Hephaestus said to him simply. His blacksmith god of a father was never really a man of words, so it only made sense for him to speak as little as possible. Blame Hera for throwing him off of Olympus, I suppose.

Leo looked at his father incredulously, his blood boiling with rage and frustration, "Calm down!? My girl can't leave this stupid island because of that conniving, little-!"

"Screaming and raging won't get you anywhere," Hephaestus told him flatly as he let out a tired sigh. "Actions speak louder than words, after all."

Leo jumped to his feet and turned away from his father, his back facing him instead. He stuck his nose in the air and breathed in the scent of the surrounding air around him. The scent of cinnamon that usually came from Calypso was very faint, but it was still there. The smell of woodsmoke from a recent fire danced with the wind as the smell tickled Leo's senses awake. The sea's familiar salty smell surrounding Ogygia was laced with the summer breeze blowing against his flushed cheeks.

Leo turned around once more to ask his father another question, only to see that he'd vanished, leaving him along on the beach.

Or so he thought.

"Great," Leo grumbled to himself. "What am I supposed to do now? I don't even know where he is-"

"You won't have to look very far, Valdez." The nasally voice coming from Leo's right side allowed his ADHD to kick in, causing him to pull out his magic bronze hammer from his tool belt as he pointed it at the intruder.

His lip curled into a smirk as he looked at Leo, who was without a doubt in my mind, infuriated at the fact that he had to go over there himself in order for Leo to stumble upon his unwanted presence, despite how convenient it had become for him. His straw colored hair still reminded him of the hay you could find in a barn as he looked at Leo mischievously, as if he knew something that Leo didn't. His watered down eyes looked Leo up and down, unimpressed; his sickly pale skin remained prominent as per normal. But there was one thing that made Leo's anger turn into a raging inferno; Calypso's cinnamon scent was all over him, and he hated him even more for it.

"Octavian," Leo spat at him, saying his name like he had a bitter taste in his mouth.

Octavian sneered at him in reply and said, "So we meet again, _Graecus_ scum."

"What're you even doing here? This is a Greeks only stop, as in, no weedy little Roman scarecrow augurs on Ogygia. Do you get it?"

"I'm aware."

"So? Why are you here?"

Octavian puffed his chest and took a step towards Leo, trying to look intimidating and failing. He looked like a gangly little rag doll, long limbs and a fairly small amount of flesh on his limbs. "I didn't ask for this. I was supposed to be dead, and so are you. Didn't you burn up in a ball of flames with that bronze dragon of yours?"

"Well, yeah." Leo said with a nonchalant shrug and a wave of his hand, putting away his hammer in the process. "But I died to _get_ here. How did _you_ die?"

"Flied from a catapult and ended up in that ball of flame."

Leo took a second to realize that the high pitched girly scream he heard seconds before the explosion was Octavian, causing the unknown laughter within him to start gurgling out. The hearty laugh Leo released took Octavian by surprise. In between the tears of laughter, Leo finally wheezed out, "Oh my gods. That was _you_? I can't-"

Octavian's sickly pale skin turned a dark shade of red - Leo wasn't sure whether it was from anger or embarrassment - either way, stick a stem at the top of Octavian's head, and he'd resemble a blonde cherry sporting the Romans' purple SPQR t-shirt. "Stop laughing already!" Octavian snapped at him in utter annoyance.

"You are one sad and strange little man, and you have my pity," Leo told him with a failed attempt at keeping a straight face. Octavian had to stomp over towards him and grab a fistful of his shirt to get Leo to take things seriously again. "What in the name of Hephaestus' hammer does my girl even see in you?"

"My.." Octavian paused for a moment and smirked cruelly at Leo before continuing, ".. _bewitching_ good looks." He shoved Leo away and let out a cringe-worthy cackle, his laugh piercing Leo's eardrums.

Leo was getting tired of Octavian's ridiculous behavior, so he drew his hammer once again and pointed it at Octavian's chest. "I'm warning you, man. I want you to take this seriously. I'll knock you into next week if you keep messing around with me," Leo said to him threateningly.

Octavian smirked and replied, "Oh, trust me. I am."

"I'm warning you!" Leo said to him, raising his voice and poking Octavian's chest with the hammer. Octavian sucked in a sharp intake of breath.

Octavian pushed the hammer away slowly, never taking his eyes off of Leo. "Do you not see how beautiful I am? I mean," Octavian let out a scoff as he attempted to run a hand through his hair, "I'm blonde, blue-eyed, _buff_ -"

Leo snorted at the last word. "Holy Hera, dude. Calm down; I get that you're an Apollo kid and that being cocky is your forte, but like.." Leo opened his arms and grinned at him. "Have you seen me? This is Mr. McShizzle you're dealing with, baby!" Leo whooped loudly, psyching himself up. Everything that came out of Octavian's mouth made it seem like it would be impossible to be able to take things seriously. I mean, _Octavian? Really?_ Who actually could?

"How can you make light of a situation so easily, despite the fact that I practically told you what I'd done to your _darling_ Calypso?" Octavian said this to him in such a mocking tone, it could be confused as an announcement of a dream of becoming a performer in Broadway.

Leo, who was being passive-aggressive at the moment, suddenly took the liberty of smacking Octavian's cheek lightly. "Bro, you've gone batcrap cray."

"What is the _meaning_ of this!?" Octavian screamed at him, starting to get fed up with Leo's lack of interest in everything Octavian had to say. "I'm speaking to you seriously, you imbecile! Have you not heard a word I said!? Or has every word passed right through that thick skull of yours? Would you like me to crack it open like Vulcan did with Jupiter to get Minerva out of his head?"

"Dude, your voice is giving me a headache." Leo groaned at him. "Quit rambling so much, it's driving me nuts! You might as well just spill about what you 'did' to her." Leo air quoted the 'did' to emphasize his sarcasm.

"I used voodoo on Calypso to make things more.. interesting." Octavian told him once his skin tone changed to that of a much more delicate shade of pink.

Leo froze and stared at Octavian, refusing to believe a word he'd said. Leo turned on his heel and walked towards the beacon he'd made to get his father's attention. Seeing he didn't need it anymore, he pulled off one of the bronze plates and used his old anvil to make a bronze bucket.

Octavian sputtered incoherent words as he saw how casually Leo was behaving. "What are you doing? Where are you going? I'm not through with you yet!" Octavian choked out weakly. Leo walked over towards the shore and filled the bucket with the sea's ice cold water. "Heatstroke?" Leo suggested as he harshly splashed the bucket of water all over Octavian, earning himself an even louder scream than the one he'd heard before his 'death'.

"Curse you and your _Graecus_ ways!" Octavian hissed at him with chattering teeth. "That water was _freezing_! I could die of hypothermia because of you!"

"It's not like anyone would miss you," Leo shot back at him with a grin and the flash of a peace sign. "That just makes my life a whole lot easier."

The murderous look in Octavian's eyes took Leo by surprise when Octavian harshly jabbed his chest repeatedly, his voice dripping with an unknown yet evil intent, "You should learn to stop underestimating me."

Leo swatted his hand away and raised both his eyebrows at Octavian in reply. "And you should learn to be more intimidating. Bro, I can't even take you seriously from the way you're talking. Less crazy , more 'DIE, SCUM!', yeah?"

Rather than returning to its normal shade, Octavian's face turned as purple as his SPQR t-shirt. "If Calypso ends up without you, don't go around blaming me." Octavian said to him in a dangerously threatening voice. "Oh, wait. She'll be with _me_ instead, so I'm perfectly fine with that." Octavian gave Leo a crude smile with his reply.

"And why's that?" Leo drawled, standing up straight in an attempt to match Octavian's height. He obviously failed at this since Octavian's much taller than him, anyways.

Despite Octavian's rather skinny frame, he had surprisingly strong arms as he lifted Leo up upon balling up his shirt collar, making his eyes level with his. He drew his Imperial gold dagger and pointed it at Leo's throat. "I won't hesitate in killing you if you get in my way, Valdez." Octavian dropped him and Leo landed with a loud thud in the sand on his butt. Octavian smirked at Leo and turned on his heel, bidding him farewell. "I'll be in touch."

Leo blinked as Octavian walked towards the rocky path leading to Calypso's garden, almost acting as if nothing had occurred between the two demigods.

"What just happened?" Leo asked himself, completely dumbfounded by the situation. "I'm gonna have to do better than that."

He hopped onto his feet and strutted towards the bucket, picking it up and bringing it towards where the beacon was. Leo pulled everything apart and decided to make something he'd never even considered making before, even back when he was at Camp Half-Blood. As he continued to piece the parts together - hammering, drilling, screwing (don't you _DARE_ ) - he was aware that he wasn't even sure whether this "thing" had the power to kill or not.

So long as it got Octavian off of Ogygia, he couldn't have cared less.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _*Mario theme song plays* What up, Toy Story references?!_

 **"..."**

 _Shush, Nya._

 **The amount of times you repeated some of this-**

 _SHHHHHH, DO YOU HEAR THAT?!_

 ***muffled screaming***

 _Until next time, later-_

 ***Nya chomps on my hand***

 _OWW!_

 _ **Until next time, later demigods! :D**_

 _ **-**_ _Atticus_ _ ** & **_**Nya**


	9. VIII - CALYPSO

**VIII. CALYPSO**

* * *

Calypso woke up with a start finding herself in her chair, her beautiful cavern empty, her beef stew she didn't remember making burnt. She rushed towards the steaming pot, swaying like a willow tree in the wind, her mind struggling to remember certain details of what she saw.

 _Was it real? Was it a dream?_

As Calypso turned off the stove, chucking the spoiled dish, few words stuck. She remembered a fight and a goddess; Aphrodite, maybe? She remembered some sort of warning and a beautiful balcony but couldn't separate reality from a dream. "Real or not real?" She mused.

"Depends on what you're thinking about, sweetheart," Octavian leaned against the cavern wall, blocking the sunlight coming through the entrance. It made him look almost God-like to the love-struck beauty that was Calypso. Unfortunately, that didn't stop her from seeing the suspicious look on his face either.

"Oh! Octavian! When did you get here?" Calypso jumped, feeling twitchy. _'Weird'_ , she thought, she'd done nothing wrong.

"What were you thinking about, sweetheart?" He pressed, walking towards Calypso suddenly becoming very tense.

Calypso looked at him and squinted, the light behind him making Octavian's features hazy. For a moment, Calypso even thought she saw Leo in his place but that only caused her mind to spin. She staggered; Octavian rushed to her side, placing her back onto the wretched chair that only brought her more confusing thoughts.

"Why don't you rest, sweetheart? You're looking kind of pale," Octavian spoke, his suspicious look now completely gone. Calypso struggled to get out of his strong grasp in a feeble attempt at getting as far away from her chair as possible.

"No!" She cried, her suddenly raised voice making him start. "I don't want to rest. I'm perfectly fine. In fact, I'm so fine that I'm going to go make some beef stew." Calypso rambled on, finally able to push Octavian away, her hands yearning for something to do.

"You mean the stew that you already burnt?" Octavian took a step closer to her, placing one hand on her waist, the other caressing her cheek. "It's alright, honey. We all have our off days." He slowly turned them around and sat on the couch, pulling Calypso into his lap. "Why don't you sing for me? I hear nothing can compare to the beauty of your voice." Octavian smiled, imagining the sound of her voice fluttering in the soft breeze. "It'll calm you down a little. You feel so stiff," he said, massaging her back with his baby soft hands that seemed the opposite of the calloused hands she so vaguely remembered.

Calypso turned her head back towards the blonde Roman, who gave her an encouraging nod. "Alright, what would you like to hear?" She sighed, figuring it couldn't hurt. Could it?

"How about a love song; those are the most calming, aren't they?"

Calypso sighed again, too deprived of energy to disagree. "Alright, here goes nothing." She started singing very softly, afraid of what Octavian might say about her voice. She felt him sway left and right, unable to look at him for fear he might not like it. Slowly, she started singing louder, letting the words flow out her mouth as soon as she came up with them, not really thinking of their meaning. " _I don't even like you. Why'd you want to go and make me feel this way?_ "

Octavian leaned in closer, finally able to understand the words she sang, not liking their meaning. " _I don't understand what's happened, I keep saying things I never say._ "

" _I can feel you watching, even when you're nowhere to be seen_." Octavian stiffened beneath her, but she kept going.

Suddenly, Octavian grabbed her arm, making her stop. "Um, sweetheart... This song is about your past lovers, right? You know with the curse and all..."

"Um, yeah. I guess so." Truth be told Calypso had no idea what the song was about. Just that it made her feel better. " _I can feel you touching even when you're far away from me. Tell me where you're hiding your voodoo doll_ ," she continued, unaware of Octavian and how tense he had become," _'cause I can't control myself. I don't wanna stay, I wanna run away but I'm trapped under your spell. And it hurts_ -"

Octavian jumped up, throwing Calypso off of his lap in the process, his face bright red. "Who told you?! What do you know?!" He raged at the cowering Calypso beneath him.

"I-I-I don't know what you're t-t-talking about!" She raised her hands over her face, trying to protect herself from the monster before her.

"Don't lie, Calypso! Or so, gods help me, you won't like what I will do!" Calypso shuddered in fear, not knowing what she did wrong. Impatient as he was, Octavian grabbed her elbow without waiting for a reply and dragged her out of the cavern towards the beach. Calypso stumbled behind him, down a path she hadn't gone down in ages. When they were close to the beach but still surrounded by stray trees, Octavian pulled them to a halt; beside the last one was the pile of logs used for their bonfires.

By then, Calypso's hands and legs were scratched and bleeding from the branches and bushes they pushed through. Her cheeks were stained with the tears she cried inside the cavern, unsure how the man she thought she loved could become a monster. Octavian dragged her to the last tree by the beach and cornered her on its bark. He then proceeded to tie up the struggling goddess, who finally realized what would happen to her.

"Let me go! Octavian, let me go! You don't want to do this!" She cried, still struggling though it was a lost cause. Octavian gave her a sad smile, gatherings the logs and placing them around her.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart; but you leave me no choice. I was promised you by a prophecy and yet you keep thinking about him." He sighed almost looking heartbroken.

I said almost.

"But who is _'him,'_ darling?! I don't even know who you are talking about!" Calypso struggled again, the rope Octavian miraculously had to tie her up rubbing her skin raw.

Octavian raged again, turning back to the logs, placing them beneath Calypsos dainty feet. "Shut _up_! Shut up, shut up, shut up!" His faced started to turn the color of his Roman shirt. Calypso was sure he would explode. "I will use this fire to burn you, my dear, and because you are immortal it will only weaken you. But, it will also attract that stupid Greek's attention, bringing him towards the fire. I will then kill him, and you will never think of him again. You _will_ love me!" The Roman looked psycho! Waving his arms around as he explained his cruel plan. Calypso couldn't possibly imagine why she would ever love him after this. Yes, her mind was a little foggy and muddled, but not that muddled!

Octavian found the match he left by the old pile of logs and lit one, placing it between the logs around Calypso, waiting for them to light up. After a few tries, Calypso was surrounded by light, burning her skin as fast as she healed herself. It was excruciatingly painful. "Help!" She cried and cried, tears streaming down her face as the fire grew. "Someone please!" She screamed louder, knowing it was useless. The only other person on this island was Octavian and...

" _Leo!_ " Calypso screamed into the wind, hoping the stranger would find her and be kind enough to help her, especially since their last encounter wasn't very pleasant. Still, she screamed over and over again, her glimmer of hope never disappearing. "Leo! Help me!" She screamed again. "Please," she whispered, her heart slowly dying, "I know you can."

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _*jaw drops* NYA. THIS IS FUCKING CRUEL AND BRILLIANT AND I FUCKING LOVE YOU FOR IT._

 ***smiles innocently and flicks hair* Thanks, Atticus!**

 _AND DAMN, THIS COVER IS FUCKING AMAZEBALLS, WHAT EVEN IS THIS-_ _OKAY, I'M GOING TO GO WRITE MY CHAPTER RIGHT NOW, OMF-_

 ***drinks tea calmly while sitting cross legged comfortably* You do that, Atticus. I'll be here, waiting for the hate and "UPDATE NOW YOU PIECES OF SHIT WE'RE DYING HERE" comments. Sound good?**

 _*ignores Nya and starts typing rapid-fire*_

 ***shrugs* Oh well.**

 _ **Until next time, later demigods! :D**_

 _ **-**_ _Atticus_ _ ** &**_ **Nya**


	10. ix - leo

_ix. leo_

* * *

Leo swung the completed product around in his hand; despite how little Celestial bronze it needed, Leo was confident with its power. Unsure of what to name it, he decided, purely for the sake of nostalgia, to call it the Valdezinator II. Except this version had the power to kill, of course.

With the remains of the bronze, Leo had created training dummies to test out the power of the Valdezinator II. Since it was basically a combination of a blow torch, chainsaw, hammer, and a drill, Leo grimaced at the thought of what it would do if it got in the hands of the wrong person; or more specifically, wrong demigod.

Leo puffed his mouth and sighed, "Here goes nothing. Ready, big guy?" Festus said nothing when he glanced over at Leo, creaking in acknowledgement as he sat in the sand, waiting.

Despite the fact that Leo's upgrades and creations had become more efficient as time passed, he decided to go with the retro approach for the Valdezinator II. Rather than a simple on/off switch, he went for the classic generator powered chainsaw approach. Tugging sharply on the handle a couple of times, the Valdezinator II roared to life, causing a smirk to plaster onto Leo's face.

Gripping it firmly, Leo swung it at one of the practice dummies. Sliced cleanly and efficiently, the remaining parts were burning hot and molten because of the blowtorch function. "Now, we're talking!" Leo yelled out. He felt surprisingly calm holding the Valdezinator II in his hands, it felt just like riding Festus in clear ski skies.

Leo tested out different methods on the dummies, to the point that there was nothing left but scrap metal. Satisfied, Leo holstered it on his tool belt, strutting to where Festus was, feeling confident in himself and his abilities. "I'm going to get Calypso out of here, and I'm going to get rid of Octavian once and for all!" He said mostly to himself.

He leaned against Festus and rested the crook of his neck on the bronze dragon's leg, drooping off to sleep.

" _Leo!_ "A female voice in the distance screamed.

Leo woke up with a start, feeling his blood run cold. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and blinked several times to adjust his eyesight. Everything was still blurry and hard to see because of how long he'd been sleeping. "Calypso?" Leo mumbled in confusion. "What the-"

"Leo! Help me!"

He mumbled a curse when he finally confirmed whose voice it belonged to. "What the heck is going on?" Leo rolled up his sleeves and grabbed his army jacket, throwing it on hastily. Making sure he had everything he with him, he made sure that the Valdezinator II was in reach, in case things got bad.

Which they obviously were, judging from how panicked Calypso sounded, her voice full of pain.

"Hang in there, Calypso!" Leo called out to her, unsure of whether she'd heard him or not. Quickly stuffing his feet into his boots, his ADHD kicked in, allowing his skinny little legs to take turns at running to save her. He heard Festus' bronze body creak in protest, but Leo turned briefly, only to say, "Stay here, Festus! I'll be back with Calypso before you know it! Just hold on and wait, big guy!" Leo forced himself to run faster, fighting off his sleep with every step he took.

The scent of a burning fire in the distance woke his senses up; his arms swung back and forth, heading towards Calypso's garden. The intoxicating smell of igniting wood and cinnamon only became stronger as he got closer and closer. Just as the rocky path of Calypso's garden came into view, he saw the goddess, his heart skipping a beat when he saw what was happening to her.

Calypso struggled against a nearby tree, tied tightly with Navy-style knots. Her sobs and screams of pain were excruciatingly hard to listen to. The searing flames burned directly beneath her; gleaming, glowing, scorching her milky pale skin. At the same time, there seemed to be signs no of burns on her anywhere, leaving Leo both puzzled and worried. "Calypso!" Leo screamed in panic as he ran towards her.

Leo's immunity to fire was a blessing from his father, and he couldn't have needed it more than he needed it now. He doused the flames as quickly as he could; once he was done, Leo cut Calypso free of the rope with a small pocket knife from within his tool belt.

Calypso immediately wrapped her arms around Leo shakily, crying into the crook of his neck for about three seconds. "It's okay, it's okay, Calypso. You're okay," Leo told her comfortingly while he held Calypso tightly in his arms, as if she was a life buoy in uncharted waters.

Knowing Leo was oblivious to the trap that Octavian had laid out, Calypso shouted at him, "Leo, behind you!"

He spun around, lightning-fast, tugged sharply on the handle of the Valdezinator II and the hammer immediately popped out, along with the thundering roar of the killing machine coming to life. Leo held it out in front of him, the Celestial bronze absorbing the impact of Octavian's surprise attack from behind. Octavian nearly fell back from the force of the hammer, but he stood his ground and pushed back.

Sparks flew between the Imperial gold dagger Octavian held on tightly to and Leo's Celestial bronze Valdezinator II. As both demigods staggered back, Leo readied the blowtorch function to go with the hammer and gripped the handles tightly, circling Octavian. Octavian had a firm grip on his dagger as he, too, circled Leo. A fire was alight in both their eyes as they circled one another, as if they were hunting their prey.

"And so, we meet again, Valdez," Octavian said, his gaze never leaving Leo.

Leo wasn't in the mood at all for small talk, especially after seeing what Octavian had done to Calypso while he was gone. "Quit your villain wannabe talk and fight me like a man!" Leo yelled at him angrily.

"Ooohh! _Someone's_ certainly getting riled up!" Octavian said with a cackle. "Didn't you find it amusing? Seeing Calypso unable to respond to your pleas? Begging her to try to remember you?"

Leo's impulse was getting the better of him, but he forced himself to stay calm, for Calypso's sake. One wrong move, and it would be the end for both of them. "If you think tying up my girl and burning her to bring me out is funny," Leo said in a low and dangerous voice, "there's something seriously wrong with you, you psycho."

Leo's fingers were itching to swap the function to chainsaw, but he waited patiently for Octavian to make his move.

Speak of the devil, and he will come.

Octavian sprinted forward, his dagger ready as he struck, aiming for Leo's throat. Leo parried with his hammer, but that didn't stop the dagger from leaving a scratch on Leo's shoulder, exposing him.

Leo yelped in pain, the scratch stinging him for a few seconds. "Your turn, _Graecus_." Octavian said to him with a crude smirk. "The reason why she didn't remember you in the first place was because she was in love with me! But her past memories of you were starting to kick in, so I had no choice but to do this. Once I rid of your unwanted presence here and now, _Graecus_ , she _will_ love me once again!"

Leo staggered back and gritted his teeth, holding his tongue to keep himself from cursing Octavian out more than necessary. Instead, he turned around, facing Calypso and asking her quickly, "Decide, Calypso. Is it him or me?"

"Gods of Olympus; there is no way I would _ever_ choosethat monster over you!" Calypso told him immediately.

This gave hope to Leo, hope that he needed to win this fight. Leo smiled at her and turned around; it became a smirk as soon as his eyes landed on Octavian. "You heard her, man. She chose me," Leo said to him smugly. "Now, shoo. Run along now, nobody wants you here."

Octavian clenched his jaw and said nothing, merely glancing over at Leo's shoulder once in a while as he waited for Leo to make his move.

"You didn't let me finish!" Calypso broke the boys' stares from one another. "I can never love Leo! I've lost that thanks to the monster beside you," she spat at Octavian's direction.

Leo's faced was a picture of confusion, unsure if what he heard was real. "What do you mean you ' _cannot love_ '? You loved me before this bastard!"

"My heart burned in the fire. I may be immortal but the heart is the only organ that I cannot heal." Calypso sighed, unsure of how she should feel. "I don't know who you are, Leo. I may have loved you once; and even though, in time, I may regain those memories of us, I can never love you again."

Leo seethed, swapping the function to chainsaw and tugging sharply twice, letting the roar intimidate Octavian. Sure enough, his face paled even more once he saw the raw power of the Valdezinator II. "This should be easy then," Leo said happily.

"Valdez, y-you're going to regret this!" Octavian stammered in panic. He fumbled and bumbled backwards to keep away from Leo, but he only stepped equally closer. Octavian tripped over something, landing on his butt. He eventually gave up on crawling backwards and hissed at Leo, " _Graecus_ , I promise you, your death will be much worse than mine once you're through with me!"

Purely for the sake of wanting Octavian to wet himself, Leo pulled on the handle once more and said, "Honestly Octavian, I don't really give a-" his voice was drowned by the sound of Octavian's flesh being sliced open and burned at the same time. His torturous screams of anguish were painful to listen to, but not nearly as painful as Calypso's.

Octavian's blood sprayed the air around them, drizzling down on them like rain. _Patter_ , _patter_ , _patter_ , the drops of blood fell.

Leo continued to drag the Valdezinator II across Octavian's body, but he earned no response. Octavian was well and truly dead, but Leo couldn't stop himself, so he kept going. He earned satisfaction from hearing and seeing what was happening to Octavian's now mangled body, coated with his own blood.

Calypso's voice was very faint, but he heard her. " _Leo!_ " She called out to him. What was it in her voice that made Leo so hesitant to see her?

Fear? Despair?

With trembling hands, Leo turned off the Valdezinator II. He dropped it in the sand beside him, raising his blood-coated and shaking hands, looking at them briefly. His heart was in his mouth, and he could feel it. It thumped uncontrollably, full of adrenaline.

"What've I done?"

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _I'm so sorry, I couldn't resist putting that edit of Caleo up there. *wipes away tear* MY EMOTIONS._

 _..I don't think I've ever enjoyed writing gore as much as I have today. I have a seriously weak stomach, but I guess it's because it was Octavian that I didn't seem to mind :P_

 _Well then, Nya, I leave the ending of ALWY to you. *slouches comfortably on my beanbag*_

 _ **Until next time, later demigods! :D**_

 _-Atticus_ _ ** & **_**Nya**


	11. X - CALYPSO

**X. CALYPSO**

* * *

Calypso stared at the demigod before her covered in blood, then at the heap of gore by his feet. Her chest rose and fell at a quick pace, her heart beat no longer there. She watched in shock as Leo dropped his weapon, then ran towards her. "Calypso," he sobbed pulling her stiff body into his arms, "I'm so sorry," the boy cried. As each tear touched her still blazing hot skin, a memory returned to her, clearing her head of confusion.

"Leo? Holy Zeus, Leo!" She cried, her voice filled with shock rather than love. "You came back. You actually came back." If the goddess could show even the slightest bit of emotion, she would burst into tears.

"Of course I did," Leo released the beauty from his arms only to gaze at her dark, almond-shaped eyes. "My only regret is not getting here sooner, sunshine." Leo's eyes swelled again, knowing nothing he could do would ever mend Calypso's empty heart again.

"And now, you can't love me back and we can't escape this island and start our shop," Leo's tears fell down his cheeks, anger growing within him. "If only I'd gotten here first! Or rescued you sooner! Curse you, gods! You call yourself gods, and yet all you do is ruin everything!" Leo ranted towards the sky, rain slowly hitting his face, gradually picking up speed. "You pretend to know what you're doing, but you never do! You get us to do your dirty work! And what do we get?!" Leo screamed louder at the dark sky, "Nothing! We get nothing!"

Calypso placed a soft hand on Leo's shoulder, trying to remember how to love, if only for the poor demigod's sake. Leo jumped at her touch, turning towards her, calming down within seconds. They stayed like that in silence as lightning filled the sky.

Clearly, the gods weren't happy, but what could they do? This wasn't _their_ island. It was _Calypso's_ island. "I'm sorry, Leo." Calypso tried to sound sympathetic. Unfortunately, like everything she would say from then on, she sounded more like a robot speaking empty words. Leo shook his head. He knew he couldn't blame her, much less ask for anything more than she was able to give. Unfortunately right now, that meant nothing.

Calypso sighed again, pulling Leo into a hug, trying once more to feel something that wasn't there. All she could feel was emptiness; Leo's body going limp in her arms; the blood drain from his face.

"Leo?!" Calypso caught the suddenly weak demigod, lowering them both to the sandy ground, placing his weak head on her lap. Leo groaned, his head reeling, a lump of puss oozing out of his shoulder wound. As he reached out to place a hand on it, Calypso swatted his hand out of the way. "Don't touch it! It's poison!" Struggling not to touch the puss, Calypso tried to assess the damage. "Octavian must have coated his dagger with it before you fought. One cut from that and you're-" Calypso broke off; Leo gasped in pain.

She tried soothing him as best she could, running her soft hand through his mess of curls. Leo relaxed in her arms, closing his eyes, knowing this was the end. He was always the hero on the side. The one needed for the minor jobs. The one who never got the happy ending. He was used to this sort of thing. "I'm so sorry, Leo," Calypso spoke again. Though her voice still sounded robotic, it broke in the middle.

I guess no one likes a sad ending.

Leo shook his head, his eyes still closed. "Don't be sorry, sunshine. I would have done it all over again if I had the choice."

Memories rushed through her head as Calypso stared down at the only demigod she must have truly loved; the only demigod she didn't mind falling for, dying in her arms. She struggled to revive her heart, knowing a spell that could heal him with love. She too cursed the gods, though not in a way Leo could hear her. He choked again, clutching the side of his arm, his face a picture of agony. He moved his lips ever so slightly, an unsuccessful attempt at speaking.

Slowly and gently, Calypso raised Leo's head to her ear, listening, grasping onto every sound he made. "Take my heart," the dying boy whispered, his voice almost blending perfectly with the cold wind. "When I'm gone, take my heart." Calypso jumped at the demigod's words causing Leo to wince in pain.

"Bu-" Calypso tried to say.

"Calypso, please," he begged, cutting the Goddess off. Her hair flew in all different directions, the ends black like charcoal from the fire. She looked like a warrior who had lost a battle, but would win the war. "I'm a goner, sunshine. Without you, I'm nothing. My friends will be fine without me; they have each other after all." With every word Leo uttered, he became more and more sure of himself making Calypso open herself to the thought. What was one wish from the dying demigod she loved? If it would bring him peace, so be it. "I'm going to give you my heart," he continued, his determined voice distracting Calypso from his pain and wound, "and with every beat you hear, think of me?" Calypso marvelled at how he could look so sure and yet have some doubt still lurk inside of him. "I love you Calypso, remember that." Calypso gasped at the sound of her name.

"You- you called me Calypso. You never call me by my name."

"Because I'm never as serious as I am now, and have never meant it more before." Leo gave her a slight smile, his eyes speaking the truth louder than his soft words. "Just remember that, Calypso. I love you. I love you with all... my... hear-" Leo slumped down in Calypso's arms, his weight falling onto her. As soon as his eyes closed tears formed in the heartbroken goddess's eyes.

She felt the weight of Leo's love crash into her, mixing with the love she once felt for him. Pulling Leo closer to her beating heart, she looked up to the sky, thinking of Aphrodite. "Thank you," she whispered, for she knew now that though Leo was gone, she still had a piece of him she could never lose; his heart.

"You're welcome, child." The goddess smiled, bringing Calypso's attention back to the ground. She looked at the goddess in awe. She always seemed to look perfect. Calypso looked back at the boy she once loved; she could finally love again. She stared at his peaceful face, playing with his curly hair. With each stroke, a memory nagged at the back of her mind.

"Octavian said I was promised to him by a prophecy," Calypso looked towards the goddess again, urging her to explain.

"Octavian was many things, my dear. Unfortunately, clever was not one of them. The gods often receive glimpses of the future we call poco prophecies, little prophecies. These are different than the oracle's and are never usually heard by demigods." Aphrodite sighed, almost ashamed at what she had to say next. "Of course, we gods weren't exactly in perfect shape due to the war between Greek and Romans. A few of the poco prophecies slipped out, one of them being about you." Calypso leaned in further, her eyes wide, almost begging Aphrodite to continue. "It mentioned that a Roman would land on the island for the first time. He would make you his and set you free. Of course, the idiot didn't realize that prophecies, especially poco prophecies only show one side of the story." Aphrodite sighed again, finishing her story.

Calypso looked back at the demigod in her arms. How cruel the fates were. Tears streamed down her cheek once more as she ran her hand through Leo's messy curls.

Minutes passed, then hours; she didn't notice Aphrodite leave. Sunset turned to sunrise and the breeze flew through her tangled hair, whispering. When she gathered up the energy to concentrate, she could almost hear Leo's voice among the many lost whispers in the breeze.

Gently placing his head on the ground, Calypso stood up. The sand was blood red; Octavian's body gone. The logs from the firs were blackened with ashes mixing in with the red sand. The trees swayed slowly in mourning, huddling over the dead hero. The brave warrior. Wild flowers popped up where the goddess lost her heart. The fresh blooms of the purest white she had ever seen. Gathering a few, Calypso lay them by her lover's side. If she didn't look for too long, Leo almost looked like he was sleeping. Almost.

As she lay down the last set of flowers, Calypso felt a heavy breath down her back. She turned around to see the most magnificent thing she had ever seen. Calypso smiled at one of the few things Leo left behind. "Hello, Festus," she smiled fondly at all the times Leo spoke about the dragon. Oil dripped down his face as Festus needed the boy in the flowers. The blood had stained the white petals red; the sight almost breathtaking. Placing a hand on his back, Calypso wiped away the stray oil, holding onto Festus tightly. It seemed as though he would disappear too, as soon as she let go.

He lowered his back, gesturing the goddess to climb on, unable to stay any longer. The sight of his only family and friend was causing the dragon to short-circuit, and then who would fix Festus. Slowly climbing into Leo's last masterpiece, Calypso took one last look at her lover, remembering his goofy smile and charcoaled face. His contagious laugh and quirky jokes. Oh, what she would've done just to hear his voice one last time.

As they rose into the air, Calypso prayed. Not to the gods, nor the titans, nor any other God from any other religion. No, Calypso prayed to the one soul who saved her. Who loved her and came back. Regardless.

And for the first time in forever, the wind whipping past her as they flew further and further away from the island, Calypso was free.


	12. supposedly an epilogue

"We'll miss you," Piper said to Hazel as she squeezed her in a hug. "Iris message us as soon as you get there?"

Hazel smirked at Piper in reply, "Count on it."

The vibe around Camp Half-Blood was nothing short of lively, seeing that all the demigods there were preparing for a game of Capture the Flag in the next couple of hours.

The seven- Excuse us; the seven, excluding Leo, were bidding their farewells to Frank, Hazel, and Reyna. Since the end of the war, they'd only grown fonder of one another, promising to keep in touch.

It sounds odd saying the six, doesn't it?

Percy's hand remained clasped in Annabeth's, his sea green eyes twinkling as he wished Frank the best of luck at being praetor alongside Reyna in New Rome.

Reyna's lips curved upward at that, telling both Annabeth and Percy that Camp Jupiter would willingly and gladly come to their assistance should they need any help.

Jason grinned at Hazel, fist bumping her with an arm around Piper, her warmth bringing about a sense of protection. "Stay safe, you guys," Jason's smile only broadened when Hazel gave Frank a peck on his cheek, prompting him to put an arm around her waist.

"We'll see you later," Frank said, resting his chin on top of Hazel's head.

They waved one another goodbye, the Romans making their way out of Camp Half-Blood.

However, not all things are meant to last forever.

A loud screech filled the skies above Camp Half-Blood, a cry of pain and anguish.

The Greeks and Romans, now a supposedly happy and bumbling community of demigods, all stopped what they were doing, craning their necks and turning their heads to look towards the sky.

"What in the name of Mars was that?" Frank asked, his face a frighteningly pale shade. Hazel gave his torso a squeeze, unsure of what made the sound was.

The confused demigods looked up at the sky, anticipating the source of the pained cry. Percy stepped forward, taking Anaklusmos out of his pocket and uncapping it. He looked back at his friends, grimacing, "So much for that."

Jason unwrapped his arm around Piper, tossing his coin into the air unleashing the golden spear. "It was fun while it lasted," Jason sighed, clasping Piper's hand tightly.

Annabeth held her dagger, twirling it in hand. "Get ready, demigods."

The demigods stood together, unsheathing their weapons, getting ready for what they thought was going to be their final battle together in unison. What came after was unexpected, considering they saw Festus descending towards the ground, a rider they were unfamiliar with perched on his bronze back.

Percy craned his neck to look up at Festus, mumbling, "Is that Calypso?"

There was an odd sense of relief and conformity from the demigods on the ground, most of them uttering silent prayers to their parents in thanks. They all needed a break, especially after all the bloodshed with Gaea. However, the news that came with said rider was all but pleasant.

As Festus gently settled himself on the ground, a grief-stricken Calypso climbed off of the bronze dragon's back. The dried tear stains on the young goddess' cheeks shined in the afternoon sunlight, her brown almond eyes welled with future tears to come.

"Calypso?" Percy stated, dumbfounded by her arrival and very presence in Camp Half-Blood. "How are you here? I thought the curse forbidded you from leaving the island, unless.."

Annabeth cleared her throat, nudging Percy briefly and whispering, "It's 'forbade,' Seaweed Brain."

Jason snorted, Piper elbowing him. Percy sighed, brushing off Annabeth's comment, "How did you get off the island, Calypso?"

Hazel and Frank glanced at one another, feeling the tensions in the air rising. Just about everyone at Camp Half-Blood knew about Percy's brief little fling with Calypso, so seeing Annabeth look so tense about another girl was simply an unfortunate thing to witness.

The goddess pursed her lips tightly, looking down at her feet instead. Her wavy hair flew in the breeze, almost looking like something out of a picture frame. Calypso's long eyelashes tickled her cheeks as she refused to look at anyone, thinking of what Leo had done to save her from the monster that was Octavian. Calypso had lost her one and only, and now, she stood before his best friends, forced to break the news.

She just didn't know how.

What on gods' green earth does one say to the closest friends, family even, of a person who passed? Do they lay it down gently? Do they say it bluntly? Calypso felt horrible for having to break the news to the demigods like this, but seeing that she had no choice, she had to do it; right here, right now.

Calypso remembered his laugh, that stupid smirk he used to make when he managed to get a laugh out of her. She remembered the way her hands felt in the mess of spring-like curls at the top of his head when they kissed, the way he smelled - a burning fire in the breeze - when he approached her, but most of all, Calypso could remember his kind and selfless heart, always putting others before himself.

Leo Valdez, the beautiful Latino boy the goddess loved so dearly, would not be forgotten.

"Leo broke the curse," Calypso finally announced, trying to keep her emotions at bay.

The demigods glanced at one another, confused. Hazel was the first to speak, "But where is he?" her voice was cautious, guarded. Frank had his hand in hers, squeezing it reassuringly.

Calypso's forlorn face was enough of an answer for the six demigods.

Piper's hands flew to her mouth, shocked. "We already lost him once," she whispered, crumpling to the ground. "We've lost him again." Jason held her steady in his arms, both of them at the point of tears.

Percy and Annabeth had their lips pursed, unsure of what to say to the two. Jason and Piper were the closest to Leo out of the seven, so losing him for the third time was enough of a blow for them. "What happened in Ogygia, Calypso?" Annabeth asked her, her stormy gray eyes filled with remorse.

Hazel let out a choked sob, Frank pulling her in for a bear hug. "I've got you," he whispered with a kiss at the top of her head, her unruly curls brushing against his lips. He wanted to tell her it was okay, but why waste his time on a lie he didn't believe? It wasn't okay, especially after hearing that their best friend had died.

And so, Calypso told them. She told them of Octavian's arrival, the prophecy, what had become of Octavian, the poison, how she got to Camp Half-Blood, everything. Calypso spared no detail, giving each demigod an insight on what Leo had done to save her.

Their goodbyes were short lived, for the fight had never truly ended. Leo had sacrificed himself, not once, but twice, twice in the line of fire to save his friends.

In honor of Leo's passing and his sacrifice, they lit a fire that evening. A bonfire which smelled of woodsmoke, beef stew, lemonade, cinnamon, and every memory that each demigod associated with Leo Valdez.

As they offered the gods their meals in thanks, they prayed.

Sleep was a difficult thing to acquire, for they all knew and acknowledged that Leo's sacrifice would not be in vain. A part of him lived inside Calypso now: his heart.

The next morning, the Romans finally left for Camp Jupiter, each one with a heavy heart when they bid their final goodbyes.

May we meet again, Leo Valdez, for now, we are spending a lifetime without you.

* * *

A/N: Well, hot damn. There you have it, folks. The end of A Lifetime Without You. Thank you all so so much for sticking with us!

Until next time, demigods! c:

-Atticus & Nya


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